Blog Tour – Excerpt – BENTLEY (Vested Interest) by Melanie Moreland

Welcome to the blog tour for BENTLEY, the first book in the adult contemporary romance series, Vested Interest, by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Melanie Moreland. See below for information on the book, buy links, and an exclusive excerpt.

SynopsisThe leader of the group. He is uptight, formal and cold. Rigid and set in his ways, always following the same path. Until the day, he stumbles upon her.

Emmy.

She brings with her spontaneity and light. The world she lives in is so different than his, yet he cannot control the draw he feels to her. Nor can he explain the way she makes him feel.

Happy. Protective. Loved.

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Synopsis“What should I get her?”

He shrugged. “How would I know?”

“You emphatically tell me I can’t give her a laptop, but have no suggestions what would be appropriate?”

“Flowers?”

I waved my hand. “Cliché.”

“Perfume?”

“She doesn’t wear perfume.” I knew that because I had asked her what fragrance she wore since her scent was intoxicating. She told me she only wore a body lotion she had made at a small place that specialized in blending unique fragrances. She wore a blend of honey and lilac that smelled incredible on her skin.

“Dee worked there years ago, and gets a discount. She gives me a bottle every year for Christmas. I make it last.”

I could buy her a couple of bottles of it, so she didn’t have to stretch it out, if I could find out the name of the shop, but that seemed too easy.

“Women like jewelry,” Maddox mused as he strolled in.

“What are you doing here?”

He grinned, throwing himself on the sofa. “Aiden called and said you were going overboard on a birthday gift for Emmy and I had to come help rein you in.”

“Like jewelry isn’t over the top?” I said in a snarky tone of voice. The laptop was a better idea.

“I’m not saying buy her diamonds, but what about something useful like a watch.”

Aiden shook his head. “Girls don’t wear watches anymore. They use their cellphones.”

“A bracelet? I think they like those leather bands. Sandy wears one with a bunch of charms. Panda something? Ask her.”

I groaned. “Neither of you are helpful.”

Maddox met my gaze. “None of us have much experience with this sort of thing.”

I huffed out a long blast of air, then sat up as I thought of an idea. “Wait. Emmy told me Cami works at some fashion store. She said she was meeting her today after work. If I could figure out what the store was, I could go and ask her for ideas. She’s her best friend. I bet she could help.”

“She didn’t say the name?”

I racked my brain. “Glad something?”

Aiden tapped away on his phone. “Glad Rags?”

“Yes!”

Maddox stood. “Okay. Road trip—I call shotgun!”

Aiden flexed his muscles. “Look out Cami, here we come.”

Grabbing my jacket, I groaned and followed them out of the room. Perhaps, I should have done the shopping on my own. Or better yet, went with the laptop idea.

Entering the store, I knew I was right. The laptop would have been a much simpler. There were racks of clothes, displays of lingerie, and shelves of accessories. I could smell perfume and lotions. Plus, there were women.

Everywhere.

They were all staring at us. Glancing around, I saw we were the only men in the place. “Umm . . . whose idea was this?”

Maddox and Aiden spoke in unison. “Yours.”

I raked a hand through my hair. “Shit. We should have just called.”

Aiden rolled his shoulders. “Too late, Romeo. Okay, we need a plan.”

“Find this Cami, ask the question, and get the fuck out of Dodge,” Maddox muttered. “Let’s divide and conquer.”

“No, safety in numbers,” I replied.

We moved forward. I was determined to find the manager, ask for Cami, and be done. We headed toward the counter, and I made a beeline for an older woman, thinking she’d be the safest bet. Except when she looked up, her frank appraisal made me hesitate. When she licked her lips, I felt Maddox’s yank on my arm.

“Abort, abort,” he hissed. “Cougar.”

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Author Melanie Moreland

About the AuthorNew York Times/USA Today bestselling author MelanieMoreland, lives a happy and content life in a quiet area of Ontario with her beloved husband of twenty-seven-plus years and their rescue cat Amber. Nothing means more to her than her friends and family, and she cherishes every moment spent with them.

While seriously addicted to coffee, and highly challenged with all things computer-related and technical, she relishes baking, cooking, and trying new recipes for people to sample. She loves to throw dinner parties, and also enjoys travelling, here and abroad, but finds coming home is always the best part of any trip.

Melanie loves stories, especially paired with a good wine, and enjoys skydiving (free falling over a fleck of dust) extreme snowboarding (falling down stairs) and piloting her own helicopter (tripping over her own feet.) She’s learned happily ever afters, even bumpy ones, are all in how you tell the story..